The subject matter disclosed herein relates to non-destructive testing (NDT) system, and particularly to systems and methods for a mobile device cradle and tube gripper of a NDT inspection device.
Certain equipment and facilities, such as power generation equipment and facilities, oil and gas equipment and facilities, aircraft equipment and facilities, manufacturing equipment and facilities, and the like, include a plurality of interrelated systems, and processes. For example, power generation plants may include turbine systems and processes for operating and maintaining the turbine systems. Likewise, oil and gas operations may include carbonaceous fuel retrieval systems and processing equipment interconnected via pipelines. Similarly, aircraft systems may include airplanes and maintenance hangars useful in maintaining airworthiness and providing for maintenance support. During equipment operations, the equipment may degrade, encounter undesired conditions such as corrosion, wear and tear, and so on, potentially affecting overall equipment effectiveness. Certain inspection techniques, such as non-destructive inspection techniques or non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques, may be used to detect undesired equipment conditions.
In a conventional NDT system, an insertion tube with sensors at a head end is used to inspect the equipment and facilities at an inspection point. The sensors at the head end obtain inspection data and transmit the inspection data to an NDT inspection device (e.g., base unit). The head end may be moved via controls on the NDT inspection device. Additionally, sensor data may be processed and monitored by the NDT inspection device. However, the inspection point may be remote from the NDT inspection device. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to control and monitor the head end of the insertion tube near the inspection point.